and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, ²who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, everything that he saw. (New American Standard Bible – NASB)

We start with a number of TV/radio pastors, or, like the first one, a frequent guest on TV or radio:

“He made it known by sending his angel (1:1): God the Father gave this revelation to Jesus Christ, and Christ then communicated it to John using an angel as an intermediary. The specific angel is not mentioned by name, but some speculate that it might be Gabriel, who delivered notable revelations from God to Daniel, Mary, and Zechariah (Daniel 8:16; 9:21-22; Luke 1:18-19, 26-31).”

And I heard the voice of a man between the banks of Ulai, and he called out and said, “Gabriel, explain the vision to this man.”    
(Daniel 8:16; NASB)

²⁰While I was still speaking and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the LORD my God in behalf of the holy mountain of my God, ²¹while I was still speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in vision previously, came to me in my extreme weariness about the time of the evening offerings.    
(Daniel 9:20,21; NASB)

¹⁸Zechariah said to the angel, “How will I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in her years.” ¹⁹The angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news…²⁶Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee named Nazareth, ²⁷to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.    
(Luke 1:18,19,26,27; NASB)

“The angel,” still doesn’t seem right to me. I understand that the Bible passage refers to “His angel,” which really should refer to “the angel,” but it’s just not clear to me which, of all the angels mentioned in Revelation, is “the” angel. May be it will get clearer as we go.

“To his servant John (1:1): The angel was an intermediary between Christ and John. Elsewhere in Revelation John receives communications directly from Christ (Revelation 1:10-16), from an elder (7:13), and from a voice in heaven (10:4). John was commissioned to pass this revelation on to the churches of Asia Minor (2-3).”

¹²Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And after turning I saw seven golden lamp stands; ¹³and in the middle of the lamp stands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and wrapped around the chest with a golden sash.    
(Revelation 1:12,13; NASB)

Then one of the elders responded, saying to me, “Those who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?”     (Revelation 7:13; NASB)

When the seven peals of thunder had spoken, I was about to write; and I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Seal up the things which the seven peals of thunder have spoken, and do not write them.”    
(Revelation 10:4; NASB) 

I kind of think that the author is also unclear about where in Revelation this “one” angel is identified: he gives a passage for each of his points, except for his point about “the” angel.

“Witness (1:2): John faithfully testifies to and vouches for all he witnessed in this divine revelation of Jesus Christ.”           [from 40 DAYS THROUGH REVELATION: UNCOVERING THE MYSTERY OF THE END TIMES, by Ron Rhodes, 2013]

I like Ron Rhodes’ work. I usually agree with him, but sometimes I don’t.

“Another unique thing about Revelation is that it is the only book that was sent and delivered by angels.

“In Revelation 22:16 we read, ‘I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches.’ In fact, Revelation is full of angels from beginning to end; angels appear in every chapter of Revelation with the exception of chapters 4 and 13. We read about them again and again.

“The book we will be considering together, however, was given from Jesus through the angel to the apostle John.

“John was part of that inner group of three within the twelve disciples who often accompanied the Lord on special missions. Peter, James, and John were there when Jesus was transfigured with Moses and Elijah on the hilltop, and His face and clothing shone like the sun. John was there in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus prayed, ‘Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours be done’ (Luke 22:42).

“And to his eternal credit, John stood boldly at the foot of the cross after our Lord had been crucified…”      [from REVELATION: THE NEXT DIMENSION, by Greg Laurie, 2014]

Laurie tends to write and speak to new Christians, so he keeps things pretty simple. Here he talks about “the” angel, but also mentions that the book “is full of angels from beginning to end.” Like everyone else, even Laurie doesn’t point to one passage that identifies which angel is “the” angel.

The rest of the quote, about John, is a good reminder.

“Though the book shows the unfolding of future events, don’t let its portrayal of the end times distract you from the real heart of the book: the Author of those events. The title, ‘the Revelation of Jesus Christ’ may actually mean both the revelation from Jesus Christ as well as the revelation concerning Jesus Christ. As we witness the events leading up to Christ’s coming kingdom, our mental picture of the person of Jesus becomes clearer. This is true because ‘the testimony of Jesus Christ’ mentioned in 1:2 is itself identified in 19:10 as ‘the spirit (or inner heart) of prophecy’ (NASB) or ‘the essence of prophecy’ (NLT). The person and work of Christ is the blueprint that holds together all of the pieces of the prophetic puzzle.”     [from INSIGHTS ON REVELATION, by Chuck Swindoll, 2014]

A little more depth than Laurie; and straightforward and true.

“The chain of communication in v. 1 is from God to Christ to His angel to John and on to God’s bond-servants. The latter phrase refers to the community of faith as a whole, which has a general prophetic calling, rather than to a limited group of prophets. Where later in the book it is sometimes difficult to determine whether God, Christ, or an angel is speaking, the reality is that the message comes from all three. Therefore, John’s book is a prophetic work which concerns the imminent and inaugurated fulfillment of OT prophecies about the kingdom in Jesus Christ.”

We’ve moved away from the TV/radio pastors and back into the regular commentators. This author makes an interesting point: “it is sometimes difficult to determine whether God, Christ, or an angel is speaking, the reality is that the message comes from all three.” This is an interesting way to avoid the problem of one angel, and it might be the most accurate. The true point may be that it doesn’t matter which of the three is speaking.

“2 The subject of the revelation is now made more explicit. John’s seeing of all the visions is none other than his witness of the revelation about God and Jesus Christ, and the revelation given by them. The wording the witness of Jesus Christ is parallel with the preceding phrase, the word of God, clarifying its precise content. The revelatory word of God concerns what He has carried out through Jesus Christ.”     [from REVELATION: A SHORTER COMMENTARY, by Gregory K. Beale, 2015]

Beale goes on to score some more good points. The first sentence of this last paragraph is spot on. The second sentence makes the “apposition” point, but using the much better known word “parallel,” making the point easier to understand. The last sentence hints at the “Word of God” being Jesus Christ, though I would have been happier with a more straightforward statement of that.

“To make this apocalyptic vision known, Jesus ‘sent it and signified it through His angel.’ Angel (Gk angelos) means ‘messenger.’ Angels are mentioned 67 times in Revelation, which accounts for one quarter of the references to them in the Bible (Johnson, Revelation, 22). Through these beings the Lord made His message known. He signified it by signs and symbols, visions and revelations.

“To whom was the angel sent? Most immediately, he was sent to the apostle John, who was an old man residing on ‘the island called Patmos’ (v. 9). Here John is referred to, not as an apostle, but as a slave. John will be faithful to testify, to bear witness ‘to God’s word and to the testimony about Jesus Christ, in all he saw’ (v. 2). What an insightful way to talk about the Bible! It is from Genesis to Revelation ‘God’s Word.’ Further, the heart of its message is the ‘testimony about’ or witness to Jesus Christ. But it comes to us from faithful human servants like John who tell us all they see, exactly what God wants us to have. That is why I often say the simplest way to describe the Bible is ‘the Word of God written in the words of men.’     [from EXALTING JESUS IN REVELATION, by Daniel Akin, 2016]

Not much to argue about here; Akin has ducked anything controversial from my point of view, so it’s pretty solid, if superficial.

“The phrase ‘made it known’ contains the idea of revealing via signs or symbols. It likely refers to the symbols used in the visions to depict the imminent events that will lead to the end. So Christ will show John and the churches the symbols that will signify God’s actions in present and future and bring world history to its God-intended conclusion. John will receive these visions and witness or testify to the churches regarding their meaning.”

This author was writing in 2016 and yet he could not conceive of “the end” being any time soon. Or, maybe he could, but he chose to see the events depicted in Revelation as “symbols [of] God’s actions” to avoid having to think about it too much.

“John tells his readers that these visions constitute ‘the word of God’ and ‘the testimony of Jesus.’ There are two implicit sentences here emphasizing the heavenly origin of the visions — God has spoken his word, and Jesus has testified through these divinely inspired pictures to the churches. Throughout the book, the two phrases frequently emphasize the actual source of everything written down in it (Rev 1:9; 6:9; 17:17; 19:9-10; 20:4). The emphasis is on the trustworthy nature of these God sent communications. These are not subjective dreams or imaginative stories but visions stemming from God in heaven (see also Rev 1:11,19; 19:9; 21:5; 22:6-9). They are absolutely true, and the church must carefully study the book’s message.”     [from REVELATION: VERSE BY VERSE, by Grant R. Osborne, 2016]

Indeed, these words are trustworthy in nature, and “are not subjective dreams or imaginative stories;” they must be studied, and not just by the church.

⁹I, John, your brother and fellow participant in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus…¹¹saying, “Write on a scroll what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.” …¹⁹Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things.   
(Revelation 1:9,11,19; NASB)

When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been killed because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained;    
(Revelation 6:9; NASB)

For God has put it in their hearts to execute His purpose by having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God will be fulfilled.    
(Revelation 17:17; NASB)

⁹Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.’” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” ¹⁰Then I fell at this feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brothers and sisters who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”    
(Revelation 19:9,10; NASB)

Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast of his image, and had not received the mark on their foreheads and on their hands; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.    
(Revelation 20:4; NASB)

And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.”    
(Revelation 21:5; NASB)

⁶And he said to me, “These words are faithful and true”; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show His bond-servants the things which must soon take place. ⁷”And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” ⁸I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. ⁹And he said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brothers the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!”    
(Revelation 22:6-9; NASB)

The next quote is quite long, so we will end it here today and pick it back up in the 21st century next time.